


I Can't Quit You

by aurics



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Makeup, Sloppy Makeouts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 21:58:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12993369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurics/pseuds/aurics
Summary: Seungcheol gets a little riled up by Jeonghan's totally unintentional antics. Just a little.





	I Can't Quit You

**Author's Note:**

> Originally a prompt here: https://curiouscat.me/aurics/post/214906913 tried to write a drabble on my [drabbles dump](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10923510/chapters/28356453) but, as usual, got carried away lmao and ended up with this!!
> 
> (Title from 'Quit' by Cashmere Cat & Ariana Grande!)

 

It all started with Mingyu, the gullible fool.

Maybe it’s a little unfair for Seungcheol to be peeved at something out of Mingyu’s control—he didn’t choose to be gullible after all, much less be on the receiving end of Jeonghan’s inappropriate antics. But there’s only so much Seungcheol can overlook when Jeonghan slips his hand in Mingyu’s back pocket for the third time in two hours.

"Hyung! We’ve talked about this."

Instead of being genuinely angry at Jeonghan, Mingyu simply turns around and whines in the cutest way possible, making Jeonghan laugh uncontrollably hard. It becomes increasingly difficult for Seungcheol to keep the frown off his face (he’d like to be on the makeup artist’s good side today, thank you). What does Mingyu mean, they’ve talked about this before? Why on earth would they talk groping each other’s ass in public? What kind of conversations are his members having out of his earshot?

Not that Seungcheol should care. Nothing warrants his meddling in the members’ business unless it directly affects the group—they're all grown-ups with the need for a high degree of privacy now, for one reason or another. Yet he can’t help be nosey whenever Jeonghan is concerned.

Seungcheol breathes out loudly, kicking up a flume of fine powder from the pact held near his face. Yoon Jeonghan’s always been an exception.

"What does Seungcheol think?” comes Jeonghan’s voice from where he’s stood behind Mingyu’s chair, the spot right next to Seungcheol’s that he’s been trying very hard to avoid glancing at. “Whose ass do you think is nicer? Mine or Mingyu’s?”

This ignites another string of complaints from Mingyu, which only further eggs Jeonghan on to respond in his typical way—with some cheek, poking at Mingyu’s neck until the other curls in on himself, ticklish beyond belief—

Seungcheol stands up and leaves his spot, suddenly in desperate need of some air.

To hell with getting on the makeup artist’s good side today.

 

*

 

If anyone notices Seungcheol’s annoyance, no one says anything. Maybe Seungcheol is just good at hiding things—he definitely doesn’t turn his smile into a taut one when he catches Mingyu pulling Jeonghan’s hands to his chest playfully, trying to get the latter to stop bothering him onstage. There’s definitely no malice in the way he shoves the extra kimchi at Jeonghan back in the dorm, no lie behind his silence when Jeonghan quietly whispers Cheol, are you awake? in the middle of the night.  It’s just that Seungcheol would rather not face the subject of his inner turmoil before he can sort his thoughts out—until he can figure out why it is that seeing Jeonghan so full of fondness for others is souring his mood so.

 

*

 

Of course Seungcheol knows the answer.

Things have gotten warmer between them lately. Dare Seungcheol say things are actually heating up—being a tactile person himself, it’s only been amplified as their tight schedule leaves them with no choice but to spend more time together. Seungcheol finds himself quickly losing track of his own actions around Jeonghan. It’s that easy, being around him, that he doesn’t think twice before slinging an arm around Jeonghan’s shoulders or leaning in to whisper in his ear. Or burying his face in Jeonghan’s neck and imagining what it would be like to press a kiss on the skin there. So much so that once, Seungcheol unconsciously presses a kiss on Jeonghan’s shoulder onstage, right in front of thousands of excited fans, having been caught off-guard by the intensity of his infatuation for his best friend that he doesn’t know what to do with.

Despite reciprocating or even initiating contact with other members, Jeonghan never gives him more than a smile in reply whenever Seungcheol gets overly affectionate. He used to never mind it so much, thinking Jeonghan just likes basking in the attention with minimal effort—until now. It’s hard to tell whether his advances are welcome or not, but that’s the least of his worries.

Maybe Seungcheol’s only imagining the growing warmth between them.

 

*

 

Then there's Seokmin, whom Seungcheol finds difficult to be irritated by, but nothing is impossible when Yoon Jeonghan is involved. The matching jumpers Seokmin and Jeonghan sport to the airport are adorable beyond belief, the cool colours matching the change in weather recently—so why Seungcheol starts seeing red the moment they step out their respective rooms is something he doesn’t want to deal with.

He plans to sleep it off the moment they step into the hotel by claiming jet lag, but nothing ever works in his favour, it seems.

Jeonghan is hardly ever confrontational, Seungcheol knows this better than anyone. He’s the type to approach tense situations with his signature cheekiness that melts anger away as easily as the sun would ice, or with the kind of sensitivity that puts even the most aggravated soul at peace.

So for him to shove Seungcheol into the room he’s supposed to be sharing with Wonwoo, intending to address the indubitably growing chill between them, means Seungcheol has probably been doing a piss poor job at hiding his emotions.

"What’s gotten into you lately?"

"Nothing," Seungcheol shoots back, eyebrow raised defiantly. "What’s gotten into you ? You're not usually this aggressive."

He means the jab to be a light-hearted one, but his tone must have had a little more bite to it than intended because Jeonghan’s eyes widen, taken aback. "I’m just worried, alright? We’ve had a rough schedule lately, and if it’s anything to do with your well-being—"

Seungcheol waves a hand dismissively. "I swear I’m fine. What makes you think otherwise?"

"You’ve been acting really weird."

"Like what?"

Jeonghan gives him a look. "Like this. Being snappy and angry all the time. It makes us all feel like we’ve done something wrong, you know?"

That hurts, knowing he’s bled negativity into his surroundings just because he can’t get a grip on his emotions. Seungcheol tries not to wince at how childish he’s being when everyone most needs him to be the leader,  but Jeonghan catches on to his momentarily lowered guards and continues.

"And we haven’t been talking much at all. I don’t—we used to talk about all sorts of things. I used to know what you’re feeling," frowns Jeonghan. “Now I don’t know any of that."

Thank god you don’t , Seungcheol thinks, because what a mess it would be if anyone knew how much of an infant he can be. He hesitates for a second before reaching up to awkwardly pat Jeonghan’s shoulder, an action that Jeonghan follows curiously with a piercing gaze.

"Sorry. I guess I really am tired," Seungcheol chuckles. Jeonghan doesn’t join him. "Poor Wonwoo must be waiting outside with his suitcase. We should let him in."

Just as Seungcheol is pushing past Jeonghan to leave the changing room, Jeonghan grabs him by the shoulder and pulls back, staring right into Seungcheol’s eyes—searching, waiting, a little challenging if anything. "You’ll tell me if something’s bothering you, right?"

There’s guilt pooling at the bottom of Seungcheol’s chest because he doesn’t mean to make things sound serious, doesn’t mean for it to affect Jeonghan too because he knows deep inside it’s something he has to deal with himself. It’s unfair to make Jeonghan worry like this, and Seungcheol suddenly feels like the worst person in the world.

But he’s still a little pissed off at Jeonghan despite the puppy-eye look the other is giving him, so he gently pries Jeonghan’s hand away from his shoulder and gives him a tight smile.

"Of course.”

 

* 

Downtimes are rare, but downtimes without the members are even rarer. Being so used to the clamour and racket of thirteen boys in the apartment means Seungcheol can feel the loneliness settle in quicker than usual as he pads around the dorm, sipping at his mug of coffee while staring at the bare, empty kitchen. Seungkwan had managed to wrestle everyone into watching the new action movie that came out in the cinemas but it still leaves Seungcheol feeling guilty that the boy would give up on dragging Seungcheol out so easily, leaving the room as soon as he'd said ‘ _I’ll skip, thanks_ ’—later, he could hear Soonyoung tell Seungkwan in a gentle voice ‘ _He’s been a little tense lately, let’s give Seungcheol-hyung some space today._ ”

Running a frustrated hand through his hair, Seungcheol turns around to dump an extra packet of creamer into his coffee (he needs it, really), and has the life scared out of him when he sees Jeonghan slinking into the living room, eyes still a little sleepy behind his oversized glasses and the blanket around him dragging on the floor. Seungcheol has half a mind to chide him for it, say dirty laundry don’t do themselves, but he bites his tongue. Neither of them are up for any bossing about on their day off.

Jeonghan finally notices another presence in the kitchen. A little startled as well, he blinks twice before nodding in greeting and hobbling over to the counter, hands fumbling around trying to make a much-needed morning drink. Seungcheol shifts away to make room for him. 

“Hey, you okay?” It’s a passing question, more customary than actual interest, yet Seungcheol savours every word like Jeonghan really means them. 

“Yeah, I’m alright,” replies Seungcheol from the rim of his coffee mug. “Thought you went out with the guys to see the movie."

“Not in the mood,” is all Jeonghan says before he hops over to the couch and starts blowing on the top of his mug, impatient to drink his hot chocolate. If only Jeonghan had let Seungcheol make it for him, Seungcheol would know to add more milk than hot water to cool the drink down considerably without letting the taste get washed out, maybe dust on a speck of cocoa powder to add some kick, balance out the sweetness at the bottom of the mug. Despite his ineptitude in the kitchen Seungcheol knows his way around drinks quite well, a fact perhaps still unknown to Jeonghan—but it’s not like Jeonghan asks much from Seungcheol these days aside from the dry, mundane daily questions.

“When do we have to start practice again?”

_Like that_ , sighs Seungcheol inwardly, but he keeps a straight face as he toys with his cup. “Mmm, not sure, depends on when Jihoon can get the demo out. Probably this Tuesday, though.”

Jeonghan nods and turns back to the TV with the volume turned down low. He doesn’t even ask Seungcheol to sit with him. 

Seungcheol runs through a thousand and one conversation starters in his head, trying to kick-start _something_  before he realises with a pang that it’s an awfully pathetic thing to attempt. Since when had he needed an excuse to talk to Jeonghan other than the fact that he simply wants to talk?

Just then the door swings open and in stumbles Mingyu, a bag of groceries in one hand and his coat in the other. He’s shivering slightly as he hastily toes his shoes off, giving Seungcheol—who’s still leaning against the kitchen counter just off to the entrance—a sheepish smile, and it takes all of Seungcheol’s sensibility to sweep away the seedling of disappointment budding in his chest.  

“Hey, hyung. I didn’t feel like watching the movie, so I decided to just shop for a few things and come back to get some rest.”

With all the willpower he can muster, Seungcheol gives him a quick nod. “Hope you got us some chilli paste and ice cream, everyone’s been whining about running out of those.”

“Those two _specifically_ ," laughs Mingyu. “But of course I got them, see? I even—" 

“Yah! Mingyu!” Jeonghan cuts in, waving his arm and patting the empty space on the couch next to him. “You missed the first ten minutes of this episode but I can fill you in—hurry up and come here, the plot is actually getting interesting this week.”

Before Mingyu can even reply, a loud shatter pierces the air and splinters of ceramic fly off to various corners of the kitchen area. 

What comes next is tense silence, Mingyu looking at him with wide eyes as if caught red-handed with a guilty deed and Jeonghan frowning at him as if demanding an apology—but Seungcheol doesn’t even have the energy to make up a proper excuse.

“Oh. Oops. That slipped out of my hand,” says Seungcheol, though he knows perfectly well that he’d knocked it over in his… in his what? _Jealous haze_? “I must be really tired. I don’t think I got enough sleep. I’ll just—go back to bed."

Though he can’t find it in him to feel completely guilty, Seungcheol still retains some semblance of conscience because he sheepishly mutters a ‘ _sorry_ ’ as he passes by Mingyu, knowing he's left the younger boy with all the cleaning up to do himself.

 

*

 

“Okay, you need some coffee, Mister.” 

Seungcheol blinks at the coat Jeonghan had just abruptly thrown in his lap. The said boy is already by the door, almost finished with tying up the laces by the time Seungcheol finds his voice again.

“But I just had one this morning.” It’s late afternoon, Mingyu had cleared off to god-knows-where and the rest of the members haven’t gotten back from their movie yet.

“Then get a smoothie, tea, cake or something else. By coffee I don’t mean actual coffee.” Jeonghan pauses, frowning. “Just, come with?”

Something ugly inside of Seungcheol tempts him to say no, to deprive Jeonghan of the clarification or reassurance or whatever it is that he needs the same way he’s been deprived of Jeonghan’s sensitivity as of late. He back-pedals out of this train of thought quickly, however, when he realises Jeonghan probably doesn’t value the time they spend together as much, doesn’t think of it as much—maybe Seungcheol is just hyper fixated on anything that involved him.

“Jeonghan—“

“Hurry up, before everyone else gets home.” Jeonghan’s voice is curt, leaving no room for a retort so Seungcheol has no choice but to shrug on the light coat and dig his wallet out of his bag slung across a dining chair.

It’s not long before they find themselves in a coffee shop just down the street from their dorm, staring at their cups like the idea of drown in the pool of caffeine is appealing—anything to escape the elephantine question looming over them in the room sounds like a much more palatable alternative at the moment.

“Everyone’s been saying I’m acting too needy,” states Jeonghan in matter-of-fact manner, pointedly avoiding Seungcheol’s startled stare. And if it wasn’t so goddamn tense Seungcheol would have laughed at his sudden confession. “Around you.”

“What?” When Jeonghan shrugs in reply, Seungcheol only presses on. “Who’s been saying that? Who’s ‘everyone’?” 

“You know… fans, posts online… in fansigns too, sometimes,” he waves a hand in the air, like he’s trying to vaguely illustrate the invisible ‘everyone’ in question. “The members brought it up jokingly once or twice, too. At first they brought it up lightly, but once everyone talked about it, I thought… I don’t know. If other people had noticed, I would think you’d have noticed, too, but just didn’t want to say anything about it. I didn’t want it to get in the way of our schedules or anything, so I thought you needed some space to yourself.” 

It’s silent for a moment before Jeonghan huffs out a breath as if talking so carefully, picking words out is physically stifling. He lifts his eyes up to lock gazes with Seungcheol, eyes unwavering in their resolution.

“Look, I didn’t want it to get weird, and that’s why I haven’t been as… responsive? As accommodating? I don’t know,” his voice trails off, looking a little desperate. “Say something, Seungcheol, don't just stare at me like that.”

“Why are you telling me this?” he blurts out, because as perplexed as he is it’s the question he can’t wrap his mind around the most.

“Mingyu told me that you’re probably being so snappy because I’ve been ignoring you lately, or been really indifferent.” Seungcheol unconsciously smiles at this. Trust the giant child to be the most observant of them all. “He told me about how being stressed out might mean you’ve got things to talk to me about but I haven’t been giving you a chance to, even at home. But you promised you’d tell me if there was anything wrong, right? And you told me that what you need right now is space, so I tried that, but that just seemed to make you even angrier. Everything I did in fansigns and onstage—they were just for fun, okay?” 

_They were just for fun_. Why would Seungcheol expect otherwise? Jeonghan’s laid-back nature calls for fleeting experiences, temporary entertainment, and Seungcheol can't blame anyone but himself for having expectations a mile and a half long. He's only setting himself up for disappointment, after all.

Jeonghan doesn’t make it obvious but from the way he’s gripping his coffee mug tightly like a lifeline, Seungcheol knows he’s being completely transparent at the moment, and perhaps a little confused too, waiting for an answer. Seungcheol decides it’s time he stopped beating around the bush.   

“Thanks for being so thoughtful, Jeonghan-ah. But you were wrong about me needing some space.” Seungcheol holds Jeonghan’s gaze, putting on the false confidence he wears when he assumes leadership duties—or in this case, when he’s facing up to the truth. "I actually really like it when we spend time together. I like it so much that—that sometimes, or most of the time,” the corner of Seungcheol’s lips twitches up slightly. “I don’t want to share that with anyone else, and I guess that's... that was why I've been so... unpleasant lately." His gaze falters, wavering to the napkin near his mug. "I miss just being with you, a lot."

Only the chatter and white noise of the coffee shop saves them from an elongated awkward pause, during which Jeonghan seems to be struggling to get a reply out, forehead creasing in thought, the process almost audible in its intensity. 

The moment passes when Jeonghan’s facade breaks—the lines on his forehead disappear as he squeezes his eyes shut and splutters out a snort that turns into full-blown laughter, so loud that several patrons around them turn with questioning glances. 

Seungcheol himself is frozen on the spot, feeling helpless and a little like someone has dunked his head into a freezing pool.

“Uh, Jeonghan, are you okay—"

“Ha! I _knew_ it,” Jeonghan sing-songs a little too loudly for a small café, leaning back against his chair and his grin practically dripping with triumph. “You were _jealous_.”

Now it’s Seungcheol’s turn to splutter, though for completely different reasons. “Excuse me?" 

“You should have seen the look on your face when I said it was all just for fun, oh my _god_ ,” Jeonghan continues, licking coffee off of the spoon he’d fished out of his own mug. "Made me feel really bad for a second there, but you started acting all diplomatic that I had to put a stop to it.”

“Put a stop to what? Yoon Jeonghan!” Seungcheol grabs Jeonghan’s hand that’s in the middle of stirring his drink. It only makes Jeonghan laugh louder. “Pipe down and tell me what the hell you mean by ‘it’." 

With a final spurt of laughter, Jeonghan finally manages to settle down—he shakes his wrist out of Seungcheol’s grasp, only to loosely intertwine their fingers together. The contact sends pleasant tingles all the way up Seungcheol’s arm, but he tries his best to ignore it in favour of coaxing the truth out of Jeonghan. 

“Not to embarrass you or anything, but I thought you were a little obvious with your crushing. Just a little.” Seungcheol’s ears must have turned a deep shade of red because Jeonghan chuckles again. “Ah, I was right! You don’t need to feel bad about that—I was almost sure but you weren’t doing a thing about it, so I thought to myself, ‘Hm, what would it take for Seungcheol to start making out with me?’ I thought things needed to be spiced up.”

“So you chose to—what, to make me jealous?”

“Bingo,” Jeonghan winks, pointing a finger-gun at a stunned Seungcheol. “I thought it would kick-start some action in you but all that did was make you all mopey and moody.”

Just then, Seungcheol is reminded of something and he frowns at the thought. “So when you were concerned about me… you were just pretending?”

“Okay, hey, _no_ , I’m not that wicked. I was genuinely concerned—you scared me when you got proper mad and annoyed, and I really did want to know if anything was bothering you. I wasn’t self-centered enough to think _all_  your bad days were because of _me_ , no matter how plausible that was.” At Seungcheol’s snort, Jeonghan squeezes his hand a little tighter and inadvertently sends Seungcheol’s heart spiralling out of beat. "I thought about letting it go and giving it up but I never found the right time to do it, you had this stormy, grumpy expression all the time. You were just so _hard_  to approach.” 

“Hm, maybe that’s because you acted like I didn’t exist half the time. You really could have talked to me this morning but you had to call Mingyu up instead?”

“Oh yeah,” Jeonghan stares up at the ceiling, proud smile on his face. “That was fun.” 

Feeling a lot like he’s been pranked for a TV show or some equivalence, Seungcheol proceeds to bury his face in his free hand and lets out a long groan. He hears the cackle of Jeonghan’s laughter starting up again.

“I should sue you for playing psychological games, Yoon Jeonghan,” mutters Seungcheol, obstinately sulky. 

“It’s called negative reinforcement! I think.”

“…I think you have the wrong definition for negative reinforcement. No one should put you in charge of reinforcing _anything_.”

“Please, I’m just trying to reinforce your huge crush on me. And it worked, right?"

When Seungcheol jumps up to jokingly—gently—choke him, it feels so natural, the way his hands cradle Jeonghan’s neck, the warmth that comes with the contact and the vibration of Jeonghan’s throat as he cackles almost maniacally—in delight or surprise, Seungcheol doesn’t really care, not when Jeonghan’s face is an open book that spells out nothing but _fondness, fondness, fondness_.

Eventually a waiter interrupts to ask them if everything is alright, wringing the dishcloth in his hands slightly nervously, and Seungcheol has enough decency to realise it’s a discreet request to _please get the fuck out because you’re scaring other customers._ That’s how they find themselves strolling back the way they came, an empty street tucked in some corner of Seoul that Seungcheol can pretend is exclusively theirs when Jeonghan re-clasps their hands together, warm and inviting.

“So did it work?” repeats Jeonghan.

Seungcheol ignores his little cackle, keeping a steadfast gaze ahead. He’s aware that he’s probably speeding up unnecessarily, but something’s itching underneath his skin and urging him to get inside _as soon as possible_. “I’m not going to answer that. I shouldn't even talk to you.” 

“Aw, come on Cheol-ah, don’t leave me hanging like this! Don’t you feel like making out with me right now? No?” Jeonghan grins devilishly, but his voice grows a tad bit quieter when he says, “Not even a little?”

Thank god for the short walk between the cafe and their dorm.

Usually one with great self-control, Seungcheol surprises even himself when he pulls Jeonghan into the elevator to their building, jabs at the close button before taking Jeonghan’s face between his hands and bringing their lips together. It’s a tender touch at first, but before long Jeonghan is letting out a pleased moan and grabbing at the strands of Seungcheol’s hair, his other hand smoothing the skin just below his jawline. Jeonghan’s fingers are slightly cold from the air outside and it sends a small shiver down Seungcheol’s back that only serves to heighten his desperation, pushing Jeonghan back against mirrored wall of the elevator and sucking at his top lip like Jeonghan would slip away otherwise. There’s a tongue prodding at his, and Seungcheol has to stifle a surprised groan when Jeonghan licks at the roof of his mouth, his teeth, trying not to whimper when Seungcheol retaliates by licking at his tongue in big swipes, tasting the sweet aftertaste of Jeonghan's milky, coffee drink. The elevator isn’t the most romantic place on Earth, but as Jeonghan pushes Seungcheol away to heave in a laboured breath, lips shiny with spit and his cheeks all rosy with arousal, Seungcheol can’t imagine a better start to what has to be one of the best love stories there is.

A little bit of Jeonghan must have rubbed off on him at some point, because Seungcheol tries for a little cheek by swooping down to lick at the corner of his mouth once more, before whispering:

“How’s that for an answer, Yoon Jeonghan?"

Instead of replying, Jeonghan pulls him down again eagerly, and Seungcheol hopes no one will be needing the elevator anytime soon.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> na mate i can't write sex. also can't seem to stop writing coupjeong someone stop me i need to explore other otps????
> 
> hmu @ https://curiouscat.me/aurics to say hi!!
> 
> ps. i really wanted to get an update out for zero tempo but i also wanted to give this drabble closure :( and i'm!! going on holiday tomorrow!!! so zero tempo's prob gonna be on semi-hiatus for the next foreseeable future. 
> 
> that said, have a great break everyone!!! enjoy it with friends and family!! pray i get $$ this break bc i see cute merch floating around tht i'm too broke for lmao


End file.
